New Australian High Commissioner to Malta announced

Anne Quinane has been appointed Australia’s next High Commissioner to Malta, succeeding Jurek Juszczyk who has been High Commissioner since August 2006. Ms Quinane is expected to take up her appointment in December.

Australia and Malta enjoy a warm and productive partnership based on shared values and interests, underpinned by strong people-to-people links.

The 154,000-strong Australian-Maltese community, the largest outside of Malta, has contributed greatly to the multicultural fabric of Australia. Bilateral agreements with Malta covering immigration, double taxation, health services, social security, air services, and working holiday maker arrangements support these community links.

Australia and Malta share a range of common interests including a high level of support for Commonwealth issues, strong commitment to the United Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process of dialogue and cooperation.

In the European Union, Malta has been strongly supportive of recent advances in Australia-EU relations. The close relationship between Australia and Malta is enhanced by the Australia-EU Partnership Framework which has put Australia-EU relations on a modern framework, the Australian High Commission said.

It said Malta is attractive as a commercial base in the Mediterranean and offers niche market opportunities for Australian companies.

Ms Quinane has extensive experience in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was the High Commissioner to Kiribati from 2006 to 2009. Prior to this she served overseas in the Australian Embassies in Warsaw, Budapest, Rome and Jakarta.